Reflective practice by health professions educators to enhance learning and teaching: AMEE Guide No. 166

Abstract

Reflective practice is an essential aspect of the professional development of all health professions educators, with the intention to enhance both learning and teaching. This Guide presents an overview of reflective practice for educators and provides a practical and developmental reflective practice approach for health professions educators. The importance of structured thinking frameworks to stimulate greater understanding of both learning and teaching situations is highlighted. Medical Educator Reflective Practice Sets (MERPS) is an innovative approach for enhancing learning and teaching in health professions education that integrates lesson study and action learning. The key features of the approach are participation in three collaborative sessions, the use of structured thinking frameworks, and solution-focussed teaching in response to the identified problem. The MERPS approach is flexible and can be adapted for implementation across the continuum of health professions education, from undergraduate to postgraduate and continuing professional development.

Keywords:

• Management
• staff development
• management
• change
• phase of education
• general

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article.

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.

Notes on contributors

John Sandars

John Sandars, MBChB (Hons), MSc, MD, MRCP(UK), MRCGP, FAcadMEd, Cert Ed, FHEA, is a Professor of Medical Education and Director of Medical Education Innovation and Scholarship at Edge Hill University Medical School.

David Allan

David Allan, BA (Hons), MA, PGCE, PGCTHE, PhD, SFHEA, is a Reader in Further Education and Training at Edge Hill University’s Faculty of Education.

Jim Price

Jim Price, MB BChir, MA Prof Res, FRCP, FRCGP, FAcadMEd, SFHEA, is the Principal Lecturer in Medical Education, University of Brighton.